Unless you have a kid – or were a kid – in the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, Carter Simmons’ name might not ring a bell. But for nearly half of its 69-year existence, Simmons has taken the podium and helped MYSO grow to be one of the largest after-school orchestras in the country. The artistic and music director conducts its Senior Symphony and Chamber Orchestra while leading an administrative team that serves thousands of students each season.
We sat down with Simmons to chat about his approach to education and MYSO’s effect on local arts and Milwaukee as a whole.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
What’s something you wish more Milwaukeeans knew about MYSO?
Every week, students walk into our building from over 200 different schools. Some students at our highest levels started in our [90% subsidized] programs and have stayed with us their entire childhood. That’s why access to music education matters.
You run a student leadership program at MYSO. Tell us about it.
I open an opportunity for anyone who wants to self-identify as a leader. Leadership isn’t about being the best musician – it’s about taking responsibility for the ensemble.
There are some natural musical leaders who are in every orchestra. Those are the principal players and people who are very strong musically. But then there are also people who are perhaps more adept at communication and thinking about how the orchestra can strengthen itself. That’s another type
of leader.
You’re known for keeping students happy and engaged. What’s your secret?
What I discovered over my career is the more you pour into a student and get to know that individual student, the more you give them agency, helping them own the experience and really care about it. It changes the sound of the music.
Let’s talk more about that. You also work with Milwaukee Public Schools to make sure that all students have access to music education.
We have common students [students who attend both MPS and MYSO], so our program – we hope – helps them, and we know that they help the youth orchestra program. In the last 20 years, we’ve focused on breaking down barriers of access through several of our programs here.
What’s planned for you and the students this year?
We’re taking the [students] to Poland. We’re going to be visiting Auschwitz, and we’re teaching them about the Holocaust. We’re also going to take them to Prague to perform there as well. This is something we do every couple of years.
How does MYSO help Milwaukee?
Our students aren’t just musicians. They’re future doctors, engineers, artists, teachers. But no matter where they go, the discipline and teamwork they learned here will stay with them.
See Simmons conduct the Senior Symphony’s final concert of the year on May 4 at the Bradley Symphony Center, playing Dvořák, Chopin, Aaron Copland and a piece by a MYSO student. myso.org
